THE father of a Poole firefighter who died at work almost four years ago has raised £780 for two charities after jumping out of a plane.

Ed Shears, dad to Jim, who died in April 2010, along with his colleague, Alan Bannon, while attending a tower block blaze in Southampton, took on his first parachute jump for two great causes.

Following the event, which he completed last year, Ed managed to raise almost £800 for The Fire Fighters Charity and the Stephen Hunt Memorial Fund.

Ed said: “The jump went very well and I was very pleased to raise the money in memory of my son, Jim, and his colleague, Alan.

He added: “I just wanted to thank everybody who donated some money so kindly for the charities.”

Ed went on to say that the jump had not put him off raising cash for the charities, and is considering what to do next.

Daily Echo reported last year how the Shears family and friends had made almost £20,000 for charity since Jim passed away.

Money was donated by kind-hearted members of the public after Jim’s family and friends, including wife, Carla, took on events including marathons and half-marathons, as well as placing donation tins in Dorset and Hampshire fire stations.

The Fire Fighters Charity works with serving and retired fire fighters, fire personnel and their families, and costs £9million a year to run, with no government funding.

Its ethos is to make a positive difference by supporting people in the fire and rescue community when they are in need.

The Stephen Hunt Memorial was set up in memory of a firefighter from Greater Manchester who died in July 2013, while on the scene at a shop fire.